Finals excite Lakers, not rivalry

0 Comments | USA TODAY, June, 2008 | by Jon Saraceno

LOS ANGELES -- The practice court scene seemed a bit odd Sunday and, if anyone was superstitious, as many coaches and players tend to be, perhaps potentially ominous with Game 1 of the NBA Finals four days away.

For one thing, it isn't often that you see Phil Jackson jauntily posing in blue jeans. But there was the angular 62-year-old Los Angles Lakers coach smiling broadly for a network camera crew while clutching the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy that depicts a basketball about to descend through a hoop.

Yes, the NBA's championship hardware. It is given after a champion is crowned.

In this instance, the shiny sterling trophy with 24-karat gold overlay, borrowed for a TV promotional spot, was awarded to the Lakers after they summarily swept the...